LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Lamar Jackson ran for four touchdowns and threw for another score and Louisville routed Florida State, 63-20, in what was billed as an Atlantic Coast Conference showdown.
Jackson ran for 146 yards and passed for 216 yards. The defense chipped in with nine sacks.
The Cardinals (3-0) topped 60 points for the third straight game. The Seminoles (2-1) suffered one of the worst losses in school history.
Jeremy Smith ran for two TDs for the Cardinals, and Jackson was nearly unstoppable in piling up 362 yards of offense. He also added to his collection of highlights as he faked one defender and spun off another en route to his final TD run of 47 yards. He has 18 TDs in three games.
Louisville’s defense held FSU to 284 yards and forced two turnovers. The Seminoles’ only bright spot was 10 straight points to cut it to 14-10 before Jackson and took over.
No. 1 Alabama 48,
No. 19 Mississippi 43
OXFORD, Miss. – No. 1 Alabama scored two defensive touchdowns and another on special teams to overcome a three-touchdown deficit and beat No. 19 Mississippi.
Freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts threw for 158 yards and ran for 146 more, but it was unlikely touchdowns from Jonathan Allen, Da’Ron Payne and Eddie Jackson that proved to be the biggest plays for the Crimson Tide (3-0).
Ole Miss (1-2) looked as if it might be on its way to a third straight win over the Tide late in the second quarter. Instead, it was the Rebels’ second collapse in three games.
Ole Miss took a 24-3 lead with 2:47 remaining in the first half after defensive end Marquis Haynes’s big hit on Hurts, forcing a fumble that fellow defensive lineman John Youngblood scooped up and ran 44 yards for a touchdown.
But Alabama responded. The Tide needed just three plays and 37 seconds to pull to 24-10. Ole Miss was forced to punt on the next drive and Jackson returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown, evading several tacklers before bolting down the right sideline for the touchdown.
In just 65 seconds, Alabama had turned a 21-point deficit into a manageable 24-17 game at halftime.
Ole Miss’s Chad Kelly threw for a career-high 421 yards and three touchdowns.
No. 4 Michigan 45, Colorado 28
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – De’Veon Smith gave Michigan the lead with a 42-yard run early in the third quarter and the Wolverines pulled away to beat Colorado.
The Wolverines (3-0) were behind 21-7 in the first quarter and by four points in the opening minute of the second half.
The Buffaloes (2-1) got to midfield on the final possession, but they were more than a Hail Mary away by the end of the matchup. It didn’t help that Sefo Liufau was hurt after throwing his third TD pass, a 70-yarder to Shay Fields that put Colorado up 28-24 just after halftime.
No. 5 Clemson 59,
So. Carolina State 0
CLEMSON, S.C. – Deshaun Watson threw three early touchdown passes in Clemson’s rout in the game that both coaches decided to shorten.
The game was such a mismatch that the Tigers (3-0) scored two touchdowns in the first quarter with no time running off the clock. An NCAA rule allows for games to be shortened by time if the coaches agree.
Clemson led 45-0 at the half against the FCS Bulldogs (0-3), and the third- and fourth quarters were 12 minutes each instead of the usual 15 minutes. Watson completed 12 of 15 passes for 152 yards.
No. 9 Wisconsin 23,
Georgia State 17
MADISON, Wis. – Backup quarterback Alex Hornibrook led Wisconsin on three scoring drives in the second half, helping the sluggish Badgers beat Georgia State.
Hornibrook took over for Bart Houston late in the third quarter with Wisconsin (3-0) stuck in an offensive malaise. The freshman finished 8 of 12 for 122 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Penniston with 7:25 left to give the Badgers the lead for good, 20-17.
No. 15 Tennessee 28, Ohio 19
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Joshua Dobbs threw two 20-yard touchdown passes to Josh Malone and ran for a third score and Tennessee overcame injuries and a suspension to hold off Ohio.
Tennessee (3-0) played without four starters – three were injured and defensive back Malik Foreman was suspended for team rules violations.
Nebraska 35, No. 22 Oregon 31
LINCOLN, Neb. – Tommy Armstrong Jr. scored on a 34-yard quarterback draw with 2:29 left, and Nebraska held on during Oregon’s final series.
Armstrong converted a fourth-and-9 with a 14-yard pass to Jordan Westerkamp before taking off on his winning run for the Huskers (3-0).
The Ducks, playing without star running back Royce Freeman since early in the game, made it to midfield on their last possession, failing to convert on fourth down.
No. 25 Miami 45,
Appalachian State 10
BOONE, N.C. – Brad Kaaya threw for 368 yards and three scores, Mark Walton ran for 130 yards and two touchdowns and Miami rolled past Appalachian State.
Miami (3-0) came in having scored a school-record 108 points in its first two games in wins over Florida A&M and Florida Atlantic. The Hurricanes picked up where they left off, scoring on their first four possessions to build a 24-0 lead.
No. 20 LSU 23,
Mississippi State 20
BATON ROUGE, La. – Leonard Fournette returned from a bruised left ankle in powerful form, rushing for 147 yards and two touchdowns, and No. 20 LSU withstood a late rally for the victory over Mississippi State.
Danny Etling completed 19-for-30 passes for 215 yards in his first start for LSU (2-1), including a 37-yard touchdown strike to D.J. Chark. But the Tigers nearly squandered a comfortable lead, giving up two touchdowns 4:10 and 3:30 left, the second after the Bulldogs (1-2) recovered an onside kick.
No. 23 Florida 32, North Texas 0
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida quarterback Luke Del Rio injured his left knee in the victory, a huge concern as the Gators prepare to play at No. 15 Tennessee next week.
The injury overshadowed a dominant performance by Florida’s defense, which allowed a school-record 53 yards on 50 plays. The previous mark was 59 yards allowed against Western Carolina in 2006.
No. 12 Michigan State 36,
No. 18 Notre Dame 28
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Tyler O’Connor threw for two touchdowns, Gerald Holmes ran for two more and Michigan State took advantage of plenty of mistakes by Notre Dame.
The Spartans (2-0) turned what had been a close game at halftime into a 29-point lead with three third-quarter touchdowns. Notre Dame was led by DeShone Kizer, who threw for two touchdowns and ran for another and the Irish (1-2).